


Hourglass

by vernonsgf



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Angst, I'm sad so I'm Projecting™, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 07:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7748014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vernonsgf/pseuds/vernonsgf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Minghao realizes that he’s never been rendered speechless in his entire life, with an exception being right now, at this exact moment. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to enter the room without knocking, but his confused and frantic brain was completely void of logic in the moment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hourglass

Minghao never even considered that Wonwoo not loving him back might be a possibility. It never even crossed his mind that Wonwoo might think of them as friends, and just that. Minghao had never dared to look past the realm of his own dreams and fantasies long enough to realize that Wonwoo was slipping right through his fingertips and into someone else's palms.

"We're getting dinner together after practice, right?" Minghao asks. Wonwoo smiles at him, taking Minghao's hand lazily in his own.

"Of course. Cheol said that we could go to that new diner that I've been wanting to try." Wonwoo says. He misses the glint of disappointment that lingers in Minghao's eyes for all but a second.

"Oh, yeah. That's cool." Minghao says. This time, Wonwoo doesn't fail to miss the dejected time in Minghao's voice.

"Something wrong?" He asks.

Minghao panics. "No, not really. I was just wanting to go for Chinese tonight instead. I've been feeling a little homesick lately." He lies. Wonwoo smiles, gripping his hand tighter.

"We can go tomorrow. I promise. I'll tell Seungcheol so that he doesn't try to make other plans." Wonwoo says. He smiles at Minghao, hoping that he's solved the problem, not having any idea of the even bigger one that he's just created.

Minghao hasn't always loved Wonwoo in the way that he does. Initially, he thought of Wonwoo as a friend, and not even a really close one at that. Minghao thinks that he started loving Wonwoo when he got sick and Minghao realized how it was almost impossible to live without his comforting and warm touches at night when Minghao's mind wouldn't shut off long enough to let him sleep. Minghao had to get used to Jihoon telling him to just "quit whining and go to sleep" and Jeonghan humming in his ear while petting his hair and glaring at Jihoon. Minghao had never realized how true it was to say ‘you don't know what you have until it's gone.’

"Can't sleep?"

Minghao is standing in the doorway of Wonwoo's (and Junhui's and Seungcheol's) room with his arms wrapped around his favourite stuffed animal. It's childish to carry a toy around in the way that Minghao does, but no one has ever said anything about it, so he figures that he can get away with it.

"Can I sleep here?" Minghao asks. Wonwoo nods and pulls his blankets back. Minghao smiles gratefully, shuffling across the room and flopping down onto Wonwoo’s bunk.

A sharp inhale leaves Wonwoo’s mouth as soon as he’s wrapped his arms around Minghao. “You’re cold.” He says, deciding to wrap the rest of his body around Minghao as well. He pulls the blankets tighter around them, too.

“Okay,” Is all Minghao’s muddled, by sleep deprivation and Wonwoo’s proximity, brain can conjure up. He snuggles into Wonwoo’s chest, holding his stuffed animal in the same way that Wonwoo is holding him, and he falls asleep with a smile on his face.

Minghao’s mind is a mixed up mess of what could happen in these situations and what actually does happen. What could happen: Wonwoo could decide that he feels the same way as Minghao does and press their lips together before falling back onto his pillow and falling asleep with a grin or he could hold Minghao tighter for just a minute to let him know how much he really appreciates Minghao’s presence. What does happen: Wonwoo brushes his fingers through Minghao’s hair and then crawls into someone else’s bed as soon as Minghao’s heavy breaths hit his ears, tucking him in tightly before he leaves. When Minghao wakes up in the morning, early before everyone else just so that he can get a sufficient breakfast before their busy schedules, the reality of these situations hits him. It’s always the same.

“Do you think Cheol likes me?” Wonwoo says. He’s reading a book in the corner of their living room on a day off, and Minghao totally hasn’t invaded his privacy by barging in and laying his head in Wonwoo’s lap. He justifies his actions by noting the hand that’s currently petting his hair.

“He likes everyone, doesn’t he?” Wonwoo can see the panic that he’s caused in Minghao, and the hand that was momentarily stilled in his hair picks up again.

“No, I mean do you think he like likes me?” Wonwoo says. Minghao looks up to try and judge Wonwoo’s facial expression but all he sees is a hint of a blush on a face that’s still buried in a book.

“Oh.” His heart sinks low into his stomach and he feels tears start to build up in the corners of his eyes. “Maybe? I don’t know, maybe you should ask him.”

“I can’t!” Wonwoo exclaims. He lifts his head and Minghao can see the red that’s spreading over his face like a wildfire. He turns back onto his side and fiddles with the fraying strings of Wonwoo’s ripped jeans.

“Well, I don’t see why he wouldn’t. You’re very likeable. You’re kind and you’re handsome and your cooking isn’t half bad.” His tongue feels like lead but he can’t shut up. “Seriously, you have the most beautiful personality,” Shut up, “And the most beautiful eyes that I have ever encountered,” SHUT UP, “I would date you.”

The hand in his hair stills and Minghao thinks that he’s really done it now, Wonwoo’s never going to talk to him again. But he smiles and ruffles Minghao’s hair before closing his book and nudging his head off of his lap.

“Thanks, Hao. I would date you, too.” He says, smiling as he stands up.

Wonwoo chuckles as he walks away, completely missing the way that Minghao’s eyes turn into saucers. Minghao mutters a ‘bullshit’ under his breath. And he tries to convince himself that Wonwoo only said it to be nice.

Minghao realizes that he’s never been rendered speechless in his entire life, with an exception being right now, at this exact moment. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to enter the room without knocking, but his confused and frantic brain was completely void of logic in the moment.

“Hey, Jun, have you seen-“ He stops when the door opens, revealing no Junhui, but instead a Seungcheol scrambling his way out of Wonwoo’s lap. Their lips are swollen and they’re both panting, and the only thing that would make this situation any more cliche is if it had been the middle of the night and Minghao had shined a flashlight directly at them.

He forces the lump that’s growing in his throat away. “Oh, sorry.” He says.

This time, Wonwoo doesn’t miss a thing. Doesn’t miss the way that Minghao’s voice sounds completely dejected, breaking and wavering even if he only said one word. Doesn’t miss the glisten of a tear on Minghao’s cheek as he turns into the light and away from them. Doesn’t miss the small sigh on the other side of the door once it’s finally closed. The only thing he misses is Minghao, when he’s left sitting alone in his bed that night with no smaller boy to wrap his body around and no hair to run his fingers through. He’s sure that Seungcheol would be willing if he asked, but it wouldn’t be the same. Nothing would be the same as Minghao, and Wonwoo just slipped right through his fingertips.

**Author's Note:**

> The ending is kind of ambiguous but just know that.... I'm sad so it would've been even sadder if I had tried to continue it


End file.
